Ellie And Joel Part III : The hunt
by Karinne
Summary: Set before and after the trailer for The Last Of Us Part II. Ellie's been on a hunt and Joel thinks it's a dangerous path for her.


**Author's notes** : That's the third story for today. Going back to work tomorrow, I could think about other stories to write about these two and I will probably write them during the weekend. Some of you may not like the ending but I think it's a natural evolution when you've been through so much with the same person.

Ellie knew something had been off with her lately. Ever since she knew the truth. Joel had tried many times to talk to her, in vain. Their friend, Maria, told him to give it a rest, that her hormones were certainly upsetting her. But he didn't believe it. Not totally at least.

One morning, he watched her carefully. She was sitting under the porch of their house, looking at the rising sun, listening to the birds. She must have felt his gaze on her, because she turned to look at him for a second. The look in her eyes worried him. She should talk to him. Maybe that was his fault, maybe he wasn't a good listener. This would change. He sat down next to her and pushed her gently.

"Hey kiddo."

"Hey."

"Wanna talk?"

She didn't reply at first but then she sighed and asked him:

"Aren't the other Fireflies going to hunt me down?"

"They don't know this place. You're-"

"Don't tell me I'm safe. One day or another, they will find out where we are. And-"

"And I will protect you. Like I've always done."

She shook her head, anger in her eyes.

"I'm not waiting for them to come here."

Joel didn't understand the meaning of her words.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna find them before they find me, before they open another person's skull to make a vaccine."

"And get killed in the meantime? Is this what you want?"

"Then, come with me!"

Joel sighed. He knew she was right and the Fireflies could not only threaten her life, but also threaten the lives of everybody in the city. He couldn't risk the others' lives just because he wanted to believe the Fireflies wouldn't come after them.

"Gimme the time to talk to Tommy, he'll have to take care of our house when we're not here. But I'm warning you Ellie, I will never let you put your life in danger if it's out of our hands."

"Fine…"

"Geez, you're one annoying girl, you know that?"

 **2 MONTHS LATER**

Joel got up with a headache. He didn't have enough sleep but he couldn't help watch Ellie sleep. From time to time, she would mumble something, unintelligible then she would move, quite roughly, as if fighting. He would talk to her, tell her that he was here, very close. And she usually said her name and calmed down.

He looked to his right to check on Ellie but her spot was empty. It was almost 6am, maybe she was downstairs. He looked into her room, the bathroom and the whole house, but she wasn't here. Nor was her backpack with her weapons in it. Where the hell was she? His heart began to thunder in his chest, making him soon breathless.

He thought he knew where she was. So, he got out of the house, and ran to the woods. And he was right. She was standing there with her bow, hunting animals. At 6am. He waited for her to shoot an arrow and said:

"What the hell are you doing outside at this hour?"

"Couldn't sleep."

She didn't even look at him.

"I have to train."

He scoffed. What the hell?

"Come on, you're ready. Come back home."

This time, she stopped and turned around to face him.

"Last time I killed some of them, I got hurt. I can't get hurt again."

He remembered this day. He had gotten into a house inhabited by Fireflies and had seen three bodies on the floor. He had found her in a bedroom singing a sweet song to a guitar. A drip of blood had been falling down her left cheek. He'll never forget the determination in her voice.

He sighed and got closer to her. And put his arms on her shoulders.

"Ellie, listen to me. Try to think about it. Look at you, you're… Don't become like me before meeting you."

She looked down and let go of her bow.

"What do you mean?", she asked.

"You may see me as a protective figure, but trust me, I've done many, many bad stuff in the name of surviving. This world – you were born in it. I don't. I know what it's like to have a normal life, to not fight any second for your life. Then, this life destroyed me, changed me. Until you."

As it usually happened these days, tears ran down her pretty face. Hiding it in her hands, she said:

"Help me, then."

He hugged her tight and touched her forehead with his lips.

"First, we have to go back to the house."

She nodded and they silently walked back in town. It was very calm; most people were still asleep. Once they reached the house, he led her to the couch. They must have a good talk. He gave her a blanket that she put on her legs.

"You used to be so joyful, so easy to read. What happened to you?"

She looked at her knees and finally replied.

"I had something to fight for, I could be a cure but nothing ever works out the way it should. Now, I feel empty, useless. I thought that fighting the Fireflies would help me feel alive but it just poured blood on my hands… It's also about revenge."

"For what?"

He knew what she meant, though he wanted her to get it out.

"For what they did to you Joel. They almost killed you a few weeks ago, while you were out of town hunting! I… I thought you were dead when I found you on the floor."

He couldn't deny this kind of feeling. When he was looking for her while she was locked up at David's, he did horrible things to know where she was. Saving her had been the most important thing at the time. She started crying again. Maybe Maria was completely right about the hormones actually. He moved closer and put his arms around her shoulders.

"Look, you need to get your emotions in control. And, mostly, you need to relax, to leave the stress behind."

"How?" She looked up at him.

"What relaxes you? Think, there must be something."

Ellie frowned, beginning to think, and shrugged lightly.

"Um, that's… you?"

Joel hadn't expected this answer. Him?

"Me? Why?"

"Because I feel safe with you, and calm. Like, right now, when you hold me or when we sleep together, I don't have any nightmares at all."

The conversation had switched to a whole new place. A place he wasn't sure was right to be.

"Ah… I don't know what to think. What are you trying to tell me exactly?"

He now was very aware of how close their faces were. It had been a really, really long time he hadn't kissed anyone.

"I'm telling you that being with you, this close, it relaxes me."

"And something else could make you feel even better?"

"I guess so."

Then, Ellie lifted her hand and put it on his cheek. His beard was soft, the anticipation was maybe even better than the kiss that was supposed to happen right now. He closed his eyes and breathed in. She approached her lips from his' until they lightly touched. She wanted to make sure he was okay with it. He didn't move, waiting for her to carry on the kiss, so she did. His warm lips found their way perfectly with hers as they started moving in unison. A minute had passed when Joel stopped.

"Okay, let's not… Push it too far right now."

But he didn't let go of his grip, she was still in his arms, her head resting on his chest, listening to his quickened heartbeat.

"Alright," she simply replied.


End file.
